One great city!

I've tossed all the papers in my office into the recycling bin. Tomorrow I fly home.

This is the sign that greets visitors as they arrive here. Captures the essence of the place. It's what I'll picture whenever I think of my sojourn.

So long, Winnipeg, and thanks for all the fish.

2 days...

So this is the neighbourhood to which I'm returning. Nothing but peace and quiet (pic from CityNews website, which has the story).

3 days and counting...

This will probably be the last STRANGE AND AMAZING WINNIPEG TALE! I'll have to relate. It comes from Arlea, who was just e-mailed some pictures from her friend Teena. Teena lives down in Peru with a newborn baby (hence the pictures) and her man. Teena's from Winnipeg, but has been in South America since last year. Back in July, she was in town for a spell selling handmade jewelry in Osborne Village -- that's where Arlea ran into her. And the first question that Arlea asked her was, "What the hell?" Because Teena is actually a little infamous (from Angelsmissing.com):

A Winnipeg woman missing in South America for a month has been found safe and sound – but broke – in Bolivia.

Teena Timm, 32, left to backpack through South America in March, after taking a buy-out package from her job at Manitoba Lotteries. She stayed in regular contact with family and friends until June 15.

Timm's mother, former city councillor Shirley Timm-Rudolph, said it was out of character for her daughter to stay out of contact for that long.

Timm reached her mother on Wednesday from Bolivia.

Timm-Rudolph said her daughter ran out of money, and she had to sell jewelry on the street to make enough cash to go to a web cafe and send an e-mail home.

Ralph McLean, a friend of Timm, left Winnipeg for Bolivia

Tuesday to search for Timm.

"Tina knows that after 28 days without communication I would be tracking her down, and so as far as I'm concerned, I'm already seven days late on that," he told reporters before he left.

A police investigation had shown no activity on Timm's bank account, credit card or email account for more than a month. Argentine officials confirmed Timm's passport had been used to cross into Argentina on July 5, but officials were not sure Timm was the person using document.

According to Arlea, the story she got from Teena about all this was while she was in Bolivia, her backpack was stolen. It was eventually returned to her with credit cards and passport inside but minus cash -- but not before Teena had cancelled all her cards. Fed up with Bolivia and cities in general, Teena crossed into Argentina and set off on an eco-tour. It was only when she returned from the tour and phoned a friend that she learned half the world was looking for her -- her face broadcast all over South American TV, a website dedicated to her disappearance, Ralph flying all the way from Winnipeg to look for her. Teena was pissed off about the fuss. Especially -- and this is the wierd part -- because this guy who kicked off all the hubub, Ralph, was not a close friend, but a co-worker who was, perhaps, a little too fanatical about their relationship.

Anyhow, a lesson for all of us: No matter how far into the jungle you are, find a way to give your mom a call once in a while and let her know you haven't been swallowed by a python.

4 days and counting...

One thing I never mentioned is the high volume of classic cars that cruise Winnipeg's streets all summer. Adds a good dose of pizzaz to the city. The picture above is from the website for the Nova Enthusiasts of Winnipeg. It's Douane Doucette's '67 Nova.

I'm sad to say that I never witnessed the "Sunday Night Cruise", which, according to Superfine Rides:

is an unscheduled social event. Cruise night takes place between June to late September, every Sunday night (weather permitting) here in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada. Cruise night Sunday is one of Winnipeg's more unusual traditions. On cruise night Sunday, enthusiasts come out and show off their vehicles and there is never a lack of spectators. Starting from Portage at Main street all the way to Portage at Wall, traffic will be heavy from 8-11 PM on cruise night Sunday. Bystanders of cruise night Sunday will line the streets, sit on their vehicles, stand or sit on fold up chairs.

Though I'm not so sure the Cruise was as hopping this year as it used to be. Don't think I ever noticed anyone on lawn chairs, for instance. I heard cops were cracking down on the scene, trying to eliminate the drag racing element that's part of it. Still, I love the idea of downtown Winnipeg being this car culture time machine, something straight out of American Graffiti.

T-minus

Five days to go.

Just in time, too. Trees have started shedding leaves, mornings now break sombre and wet -- it's sweater and jacket season. I expect next week the sun will stop rising and the snow start falling.

So why is the damn air conditioner still on in the office?

Atlas, pre-shrug

That's Deborah and me, two Falcon Beach writers, on Deborah's last night in town a couple of weeks ago. A metaphor for the weight we've had to carry on the show. She sloughed off her burden, and soon I shall too. September 22 is my last day on the job, and I'm flying home September 23. That's less than 2 weeks away, just in time to escape the dreaded Manitoba winter, and just in time to enjoy the lovely Toronto fall.

For the curious among you, that polar bear statue is named Nanookshuk (nanook = polar bear + inukshuk = Inuit navigational marker appropriated as an "i was here" by smug white hikers) , and it's the result of one of those city-wide animal sculpture initiatives that seemed to infect every corner of the globe a few years ago. Zurich and Chicago had cows; Toronto had moose; Winnipeg had polar bears.

Is Winnipeg a polar bear breeding ground? Am I at risk of being devourerd by the world's largest land carnivore every time I step onto the sidewalk? Never fear! According to D Blog:

In response to Al’s comment, who asked whether I’ve seen the Polar Bears that live near Winnipeg, I decided to write this blog, as I find it interesting how so many people south of the border, and even some in Canada have a bit of a misconception about Winnipeg. I don’t blame anyone from believing that there are Polar bears here, though as winters in here do get pretty damn cold. However, the Polar Bears don’t come this far down. The Polar Bears are in Churchill, which is a city way up north in this same province, by the Hudson Bay. You can’t drive there, you have to fly, or take a 38-hour train to get there. Perhaps Al and some others have read about that, and believe Churchill is near by Winnipeg, but it actually is pretty far away.

Hard labour days

Inspired by David Hockney's amazing "Hand Eye Heart" watercolours of the East Yorkshire Landscape, I left the safety and comfort of my apartment for the first time in days to sketch the Assiniboine River. It's not actually as lush as it looks -- but the water is certainly that green.

Much to the disappointment of the ghosts of Canada's trade unionists, I've been spending most of the Labour Day weekend working at the computer instead of enjoying Winnipeg's still gorgeous summer weather. I did hear the Labour Day parade from my window, bag pipes and tablas and all. And I was heartened to read that, according to History Television's website that back in 1894 "the first official Labour Day was christened with a five-kilometre-long parade in Winnipeg."

Hope y'all had fun closing up your cottages and drinking the last 2-4 of the season. I'm gonna go shoot bottle rockets from my balcony at the windows of the Fort Garry Hotel across the way.